Trompe opened their night at the Bop Shop with a Don Cherry song, something to do with elephants. Their lineup, two cellos and a family of trumpets, felt good on the ears. Cornet player Taylor Ho Bynum also performs with Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith and Mary Halvorson. The cellists when both bowing could sweep you away but each played pizzicato with precision as they sculpted their improvisations. I was amazed at how they stayed in complete control and pulled out of their compositions like masters.
Their second song, “Blues for Democracy,” written by the cello player, Je4 Song was a woozy, off-kilter, almost drunken stroll through city streets. At least that’s where I was going with it. It perfectly captured the wobbly state of our democracy today. This was a free show and one of the best we’ve seen.
A few nights later we were in Abilene to see Wren Cove. They sounded great once we moved in front of most of the crowd and slid into a spot along the wall next to Phil and Ry Marshall. Abilene’s days are numbered as Danny has decided to give it a rest. It’s so comfortable here we stayed for the second and then part of the third band on the bill. All of Rochester is going to miss this place.
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